The Washington critic., 1887-08-15
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

dollar sword TO be presented to Gen
eral Miles by the citizens Of Arizona,
the New York Mat and Express says
that no precious stones will be used.
The scabbard is of solid gold. One of
its sides will be left plain for the pre-.
sentaiion inscription, etc. The other
side will be engraved with the follow.
ing characteristic scenes: First, the
agency at San Carlos ION the reserva.
tom, the Indians appearing in natural
camp life. Second scene, companies of
cavalry and infantry in pursuit of In.
dians. Third, the fight. Fourth, the
capture and Indians marched to Bowie
Station, where train of cars stand In
waiting for their reception, and last is
Geronimo's head, with hat on, form.
ing the foot of the scabbard. This
latter work is done from Fly's photo
graph of Geronimo, and Is perfect to
life. The blade Is of Damascus steel,
and will be engraved with the name
of General Nelson A. Miles and scroll
work. The handle or hand. grip will
be of white sharks skin, braided In
gold. The guard will be of gold aud
be emblematic of both cavalry and In.
fantry. At the extreme end of the
guard, engraved in gold, will be the
head of NatcheZ, the son Of Cochise,
moonstone amethyst forming the end
of the hand. grip.
~
In the course of "Gath's" letter to
the Cincinnati Enquirer describing the
recent grand naval review, he says: 1t
seemed to me that there was more Dem.
ocracy in the British Navy than in
the American Navy. Here were sailors
belonging to the ship smoking their
pipes and cigarettes around the decks,
and often answering questions al
dressed TO them by the passengers, or
even engaged In conversation. The
intercourse between the officers and
sailors was rather of the nature of the
relations between the master of huge
house and his domestics. Everybody
obeyed orders, but the orders we're
given often In conversational tone,
and sometimes Lieutenant would
come up and speak to man as If
he were striking him for light
for his cigar and request him to go and
do something. The men were almost
uniformly English, looking their race,
perfectly homogeneous, not made up
of pickings from every country, like
the United States navy. One could al.
most realize why the British so long
insisted on the right of search for their
sailors when he observed the import.
auce attached 10 a native subject serv
ing In Queens ship. All men who
understand how to go TO sea are en-
rolled for the British navy, which has
about sixty thousand persons in its EN-
ploy In time of peace, and has the
naval reserve besides on which to draw,
so that landsmen are not brought to
sea and taught about ship, bat sail.
ors are found who have been accus-
toned to the ocean and to rigging from
childhood.
-
The Washington correspondent of
the Chicago Ns'cS finds by reference to
the latest published statement Of
Treasury assets and liabilities, that
among the assets was 1891 ,006, All In
gold and nearly $3.50, 600, 600 In silver,
including 34,O00,00O of trade dollars
ard fractional coins. Taking up this
@2s1, 900, 600 of gold and placing 1t on
scales he finds that the gold held by the
Treasury weighed $40 tons. and II
packed into ordinary carts, one ton to
each cart, 1t would make procession
two miles long, allowing twenty feet of
space for the movement of each horse
and cart. The weighing of the silver
produces much more interesting results.
Running this over the scales find Its
weight to be 1896 tons. Measuring II
in carts, as In the case of the gold, the
silver now held by the Treasury would
require the services of 1896 horses
and carts 10 transport 1t, and
would make procession over
twenty one miles In length. The
surplus about which so much is said in
the daily newspapers amounts to nearly
1900 90, an increase of 50, 200, ,OOJ
since ,dly /. Counted as gold, this
surplus would weigh S6l tons. Counted
as silver, 1t would weigh 1885 tons.
Each million of gold adds 3,6s5 pounds
10 the surplus, and each million of sill
Yer adds $500 pounds. Applying
cubic measurement to the Treasury
gold and silver, and piling the two
metals on Pennsylvania avenue as cord
wood Is piled before delivery to the
purchaser. he finds that the gold would
measure 81 cords and the silver 40,
cords, and that both would extend from
the Treasury Department to Four AMI
n half street, or from the Treasury Il
the Pension Office In "a straight line
aud forming solid wall eight feet higt
and four feet broad,